Low pressure furnace roof



Sept. 24, 1963 Filed May 17, 1961 R. P. COPELAND 3,104,631

' INVENTOR.

' ROBERT P.C0PE|.AND'

Sept. 24, 1963 R. P. COPELAND 3,104

LOW PRESSURE FURNACE ROOF I Filed May 17, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-5.2 M FIG.3

INVENTOR. ROBERT P.C OP ELAND BY KW United States Patent 3,104,631 LOW PRESSURE FURNACE ROOF Robert P. Copeland, Independence, M0 assignor to Geo. I. Reintjes (30., Inc, Kansas City, Mo, a corporation of Missouri Filed May 17, 1961, Ser. No. 128,917 4 Claims. (Cl. 110-99) This invention relates to low pressure furnace roofs having overlying beams arranged in opposed pairs pivoted at their outer ends to the side walls of the furnace and under resilient upward tension at their md-point. In this type of construction the sprung arch brick of the roof are exposed to less compressive strains in service, and spalling and fracturing of the brick is decreased.

However, it has been found that in some installations, due to chemical or physical condition of the brick, excessive erosion, unbalanced heating or the like, there is, at times, a tendency for small areas of the roof to buckle upwardly at a faster rate than the rise in the adjacent areas of the roof or arch. Under such conditions there is a tendency for some of the hangers or hooks to become detached from the brick and render local areas of the arch more or less unstable.

The present invention has as one of its objects to provide means opposing local rise of the brick by providing back-stop or equalizer bars which prevent excessive local rise of the arch and transmit such upward movement to the hinged overlying beams so that the two halves of the steel framework may rise and fall as a unit and maintain percentagewise the same load ratio over the area of the arch.-

Another object of the invention is to supply a locking suspension rod which so engages the hooks of the brick that the rod is locked against longitudinal movement independent of the corresponding movement of the brick, the rod being axially rotated to and from locking position. The construction is such that the locking rod may be manipulated by only one hand of the operator at the time of erection or repair.

With the general objects named and in view of others as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain new and novel features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE *1 is a transverse section through an arch embodying the invention.-

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the hooks engaging a group of metal encased brick, an equalizer bar to prevent undue rise of local areas extending longitudinally of the arch.

FIGURE 3 is an elevation of the right hand end of the assembly shown in FIGURE 2, the support and lock rod being in locked position.

FIGURE 4 is a view, similar to FIGURE 3, with the lock rod in full lines in its initial position when being slipped into position, its rotation to locked position being shown in dotted lines.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the locking rod.

In the said drawings, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, 1 represents a furnace chamber with upstanding side walls 2, and spanning the arch and supported by the side walls are a series of spaced beams 3. Extending longitudinally of the furnace and resting on the beams 3 are suspension beams 4.

Extending (upwardly and inwardly of the furnace are inclined pairs of opposite roof beams 5 which are pivoted at their outer ends as at 6 to the side walls of the furnace, and the inner ends of the beams 5 are supported from the ice beams 3 through rods 7 depending from the suspension beams 4. The lower ends of the rods 7 have an oscillating connection with the beams 5 and their upper ends are threaded to receive tensioning nuts 8 so that the extent of upward lift applied by the springs 9 against nut 8 and beams 4 may be adjusted as required. The adjacent ends of the pairs of beams 5 are connected by overlapping slip plates 18 so that upward movement of one beam will apply corresponding upward movement to the other beam 5.

In practice the arch brick 10 are inclosed in metal encasements 11 which are initially laid up in sprung arch relation on a temporary support not shown, the upper ends of the encasements being in close proximity to the underside of the horizontal equalizer bars 12 running longitudinally of the arch and held in position by depending bars 13 welded to the bars 12 and to the side edges of the roof beams 5.

The encased brick 10 are now attached to the roof beams 5 by inserting double U-shaped hooks 14 in the openings 14a formed in the extended ends of the encasements, and then locking rods 15 having an angular lug '16 at one end and a right angle extension 17 at the other end, are thrust through the hooks 14 and over the equalizer bar 12 as shown in sequential views, FIGURES 3 and 4. The final arcuate rotation of the end 17 as shown in dotted lines, places the right angle extension 17 between the adjacent hook 14 and the encasement 11 of the brick. It will be noted that this final position places the angle of the lug 16 and the lock 17 in position so that they are off center and naturally tend to maintain their locked relation.

Before or atter the temporary supporting form for the arch is removed, the nuts 8 are manipulated to compress the springs 9 to a predeterminted Load so that they will support the desired proportion of the weight of the assembly. This upward puil of the springs lowers the pressure between adjacent brick. As the roof tends to rise due to expansion and refractory growth, the springs will exert less upward force, but at the same time there is a decrease in weight due to refractory wear or erosion, the springs therefore constantly maintain substantially the desired percentage of the weight.

From the above description and drawings, it will be apparent that I have produced a construction embodying all of the features of advantage set forth as desirable; and while I have described and illustrated the preferred construction, it is to be understood that I reserve the right to all changes within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A brick arch support and lock comprising a locking rod supported to rotate around its longitudinal axis, a pair of U-shaped hooks depending from said rod adjacent its opposite ends, bricks having extended metal encasements engaged with said hooks, said rod having a lug at one end to prevent detachment of the adjacent brick hook, and the other end of the rod being formed with a locking extension confined between the adjacent U-shaped hook and the extended encasement of the brick to lock the rod and hook against detachment.

2. A support for overhead brick comprising a plurality of metal encased brick, the encasements at one end of the brick being extended and having through openings formed therein, said encased brick being disposed in pairs in side by side position with their extended encasements in back to back relation, U-shaped hooks engaged with the through openings of the encasements of each pair of brick, and a support and lock rod extending through the hooks, one end of the rod being formed in a lug to prevent detachment of its adjacent hook from the rod, and the other end of the rod being bent to fiorm a right angle extension confined between its adjacent hook and the encasement to prevent disengagement of the hook and rod.

3. In a furnace chamber having side walls, an overhead beam spanning the chamber, a pair of roof beams conjointly bridging the chamber below the overhead beam and pivoted to the opposite side walls at their outer ends, spring suspension means resiliently supporting the inner ends of the roof beams below the overhead beam, a plate interlocking the inner ends of the roof beams to insure concurrent swingi-ng movement of said beams on their outer end pivots, equalizer bars extending downwardly from the roof beams and extending longitudinally of the furnace chamber, encased brick having means suspending them from the equalizer bars so that upward expansion or local areas of the brick beyond a predetermined point is translated into upward swinging movement of the roof beams by force applied to the equalizer bars, said suspension means comprising U-shaped hooks engaged with the :brick encasements, and a supporting and locking rod extending through the hooks and having an upturned lug at one end to prevent disengagement of its adjacent hook, the other end of the rod being disposed between its adjacent hook and the encasement of the brick.

4. In a furnace chamber having side walls, a sprung arch of metal encased brick spanning the chamber and supported by the side walls, an overhead framework of beams carried by the opposite side walls above the arch, a pair :of longitudinally aligned roof beams pivoted to the side walls at their outer ends and extending inwardly and upwardly to conjointly span the arch, resilient means coupling the framework and the roof beams, equalizer bars depending from the roof beams to limit local rise of the arch brick, and suspension means securing the brick to the equalizer bars, said suspension means comprising U-shaped hooks engaged with the brick encasements, and a supporting and locking rod having an upturned =l-ug at one end to prevent disengagement of its adjacent hook, the other end of the rod being engaged between its adjacent hook and the encasement of the brick.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A BRICK ARCH SUPPORT AND LOCK COMPRISING A LOCKING ROD SUPPORTED TO ROTATE AROUND ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS, A PAIR OF U-SHAPED HOOKS DEPENDING FROM SAID ROD ADJACENT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS, BRICKS HAVING EXTENDED METAL ENCASEMENTS ENGAGED WITH SAID HOOKS, SAID ROD HAVING A LUG AT ONE END TO PREVENT DETACHMENT OF THE ADJACENT BRICK HOOK, AND THE OTHER END OF THE ROD BEING FORMED WITH A LOCKING EXTENSION CONFINED BETWEEN THE ADJACENT U-SHAPED HOOK AND THE EXTENDED ENCASEMENT OF THE BRICK TO LOCK THE ROD AND HOOK AGAINST DETACHMENT. 